23 July 2015

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23 July 2015

AM Daily opening photographs were taken, and work began with a hand pick in Locus 18 to expose any potential coursing stones for the circular feature. Opening elevations were also taken for both Locus 18 and 19 .

Locus 18 Elevations:

NW Corner: 23.21m A.E.

NE Corner: 23.23m A.E.

SE Corner: 23.20m A.E.

SW Corner: 23.22m A.E.

Locus 19 Elevations:

NW Corner: 23.74m A.E.

NE Corner: 23.83m A.E.

SE Corner: 23.92m A.E.

SW Corner: 23.83m A.E.

It was decided that the floor of Locus 18 should be lowered in an effort to find any stones

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associated with the feature. A large pick axe is being used, and loose soil is being removed via shovels and buckets. The soil in Locus 18 remains grayish-brown and flakey, being mostly comprised of deteriorating stone. Cursory sorting is being done as the buckets are emptied into the wheel barrow, as the soil has been deemed essentially sterile.

After several pick passes, a hand pick was used to remove soil and expose additional stones along the western face of the circular feature. One has been revealed thus far. It has been decided to sort the tile recovered from Locus 19 by type; pan tile, flanges, notched flanges, and cover tile are being separated in order to discern if any fragments once joined and a full width or length can be seen. While sorting the tile, a rosette sima fragment was uncovered. Because the location is unknown, an estimated range will be used.

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Find 1: Rosette Sima Fragment

~95-96E/54-55S

~23.80-25.13m A.E.

Locus 19

Drawing

An additional two stones have been exposed, adjacent to each other, and below the previously mentioned stone by approximately 10cm. Work continues as before in hopes of discovering the end point of the feature. During a hiatus in pick axing, a hand pick was used to remove soil between the recently exposed stones. Another level of coursing has been uncovered underneath the two mentioned before. Between these two levels a fragment of tile has been exposed. After the elevation was dropped 10cm more, hand pick used again

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to expose another potential row of coursing. A large rock, not fully exposed yet but at least 40cm in width, exposed. While the elevation must be dropped further to fully investigate this stone, it very tentatively looks like it may be an outcropping of bedrock.

PM

Pick axing resumed in Locus 18 , removing the brown, yellow, grey, and red mottled deteriorating rock soil. When the elevation of the trench had been dropped in this manner about 10cm, the lowest rock exposed was reinvestigated with a hand pick and trowel. Though the stone seems slightly different than those composing the upper courses of the circular feature, it also does not appear to be bedrock. Before dropping the elevation of Locus 18 further, some cleaning of the baulks around the circular feature commenced. Hand axes used to trim back the

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eastern baulk wall south of the circular feature in order to determine the width of the feature at the present elevation. At current view it appears the feature may be narrowing in diameter, but such a perception may be incorrectly influenced by the lack of clarity in the baulk wall. Simultaneously, the eastern baulk wall north of the feature is being trimmed up for the same reason as well as to shore up the corner. Work ended for the day when the baulks were trimmed up.

Daily Totals:

No materials recovered in Locus 18 .

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